10 Movie and TV Picks for February

Only two more weeks until the first MCU film of 2018! It's hard believe Black Panther is really almost here. There have been so many exciting moments building up to the premiere I'm not sure which has ranked as the highest. It might have been when first trailer dropped last October and we got the first glimpse of the Afro-futuristic world of Wakanda. Or when Marvel release dozens of images showcasing the costumes and cities, and tech that made up the world. Or perhaps when the cast appeared at Comic-Con last summer to drop footage and get everyone psyched up about what was to come. I might have been back in 2016 when T'Challa made his first appearance Captain America: Civil War and outclassed everyone in tech, and chased down a motorcycle on foot. (That was pretty cool.) Or even further back when they announced that Ryan Coogler (who made one of my favorite films of 2015, Creed) would be helming this one, and bringing his unique style to the MCU. But none of those moments will top the one coming on Feb. 16. I've got my ticket! Wakanda Forever! — Vanessa

Back when "UnReal" first aired, I was skeptical when everyone was raving about this Lifetime series about reality TV dating competition. But when I learned it was created by TV writer Marti Noxon and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro (who worked as a producer on "The Bachelor") I checked out an episode. It didn't take long for me to get hooked to the delicious drama and the series became my not-so-guilty pleasure. After a year and half break, the series is finally returning! Caitlin FitzGerald stars as the first female suitress Serena, a Silicon Valley mogul who is not interested in playing Rachel and Quinn’s games. Surely, drama will ensue. — Michelle

The last time Ex Machina writer-director Alex Garland adapted a sci-fi novel, the result was the vastly underrated Never Let Me Go. Knowing the Garland would have to take a certain liberties to adapt Annihilation, the first installment in Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy — quick examples: there are no character names in the novel, and the story is told mostly through journals left behind by previous expeditions — I cannot wait to enter The Shimmer. Could one of the best, and most timely, movies of 2018 be released so soon into the new year? — Arno

The first half of the latest season came under fire from some fans for being too slow (zombie-like). But I was so busy in the run-up to the holidays that I binged all eight episodes in two sittings, which turned out to be hugely satisfying. Plus, that cliffhanger! Slow-moving it may be, but "The Walking Dead" remains one of the best series available right now and with rumors that it may not last forever, I’m going to savor every bite. In the meantime, there’ll be plenty to chew on. The mid-season premiere will be extended from its usual hour to 82 minutes, meaning one beloved character looks set to be given a suitable send-off. — Michael

As we head deep into Oscars season and contemplate the many heavy, serious, and consequential stories crafted on the big screen of the past year, it's good to pause for a bit and consider some movie fare designed just for pure escapism. And this caper, starring two of my personal faves, Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, seems to serve up just the right mix of comedy, intrigue, mystery, and action. The movie follows a group of a friends who meet up for a murder-mystery night and end up getting pulled into something far more perilous and real. Co-directing the proceedings are John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, whose most recent collaboration was scripting the crowd-pleasing and surprisingly funny Spider-Man: Homecoming. — Bret

With the speed that Netflix announced and drops series we haven’t been waiting for "Altered Carbon" for too long, but that hasn’t dampened my excitement for the cyberpunk series. Based on the Richard K. Morgan's hardboiled/cyberpunk novel series, the story is set in a future where consciousness can be downloaded into new bodies called "sleeves" and the wider repercussions that technology holds on society. Joel Kinnaman ("The Killing," "House of Cards") plays ex-military Takeshi Kovacks, whose consciousness is "sleeved" into a new body and tasked to solve a murder in a world where the idea of murder is now tenuous. The cyberpunk genre really hasn’t gotten its proper due on the small screen, and there are so many cyberpunk classics out there I'd love to see make the jump from page to screen like William Gibson's "Neuromancer," Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash," and George Alec Effinger's "When Gravity Fails." Fingers crossed that that "Altered Carbon" will be the first of many cyberpunk series to come. — Vanessa

I will never tire of the Olympics, and I'm particularly excited for this 2018 winter edition of the sports spectacular, which marks the second time that South Korea has hosted the Games. PyeongChang will welcome 92 delegations to compete, with six nations participating for the first time in the Winter Olympics: Ecuador, Eritrea, Kosovo, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Singapore. Also, for the first time in 11 Olympics, NBC will be handing over the primetime hosting torch to Mike Tirico, who takes over for broadcasting living legend Bob Costas. Joining Tirico to call the event's Opening Ceremonies is a familiar face to NBC, former "Today" co-host Katie Couric. — Bret

I'm excited to see Duncan Jones in Netflix mode as he takes a step away from the Hollywood studio system after Warcraft: The Beginning (and end) and gets back to his filmmaking roots with Mute. You might already know the movie was originally set to be Jones' directorial debut but it has been retooled as companion piece to Moon and the second picture in a planned trilogy. — Arno

As a fan of "The Killing" (who endured all of its cancellations), I am personally excited to for this next series from Veena Sud. In this new anthological crime drama, tensions run high in the Jersey City community after a teenage African American boy is critically injured by a white cop. But in this case, the cop didn’t intentionally gun down an unarmed teen — he accidentally hit him with a car and fled the scene. Regina King stars as the boy's mother who will not stop until she finds out the truth. Sud reportedly conceived of this project shortly after Freddie Gray died in police custody, so we are expecting this drama to hit close to home. — Michelle

As a lifelong fan of Aardman Animations, I could not wait to see the latest film from Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park, and I was not disappointed. Described by Park in our trailer with commentary as a "prehistoric underdog sports movie," it features the voice talents of Eddie Redmayne as caveman Dug and Tom Hiddleston as the wicked Lord Nooth. When Nooth plans to steal land from Dug and his tribe, the dispute comes down to a game of football. Luckily, talented player Goona (voiced by "Game of Thrones’" Maisie Williams) offers to train the tribe of lovable lunkheads. One Aardman animator described their approach to me as "funny and thumby," meaning they want you to see the thumbprints on the Plasticine, and it's this passion that puts their movies in a league of their own. It's also really funny! — Michael